High blood pressure it’s not called the silent killer for nothing. Many people do not realize that they have this condition. Yet, this is a very dangerous condition that when coupled with pregnancy can cause severe problems.

What is high blood pressure? It is a condition in which your heart is having to work overtime just to do the basic job of getting blood to all parts of your body.  The more your heart has to work, the more strain it is put under.

Even without having high blood pressure, or hypertension, pregnancies put added work onto the heart. Your heart has to be healthy to make it through the pregnancy with no complications.

There are three scenarios with high blood pressure that you could encounter while pregnant.

1. Pre-Eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is a form of high blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy. This is usually determined the regular checkups and monitored for the remainder of your pregnancy.  This is not a very common form of high blood pressure though it is dangerous enough to need constant monitoring.

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Symptoms include major headaches and swollen legs. A test of your kidney functions and of your blood pressure help you diagnose this problem.  If this is left untreated, a pregnant woman has a higher chance of seizures, miscarriages, clotting, and birth complications. This is not a condition to be taken lightly. You need to be monitored throughout the pregnancy, labor, and after the birth. It can greatly affect your child who will also be monitored during this time.

Discuss what did happen with your doctor. Some women have to have a caesarean sections or early deliveries. With Pre-eclampsia there is a higher risk of stroke or heart attack.

2. Chronic hypertension

The most common form of high blood pressure to pregnant women are those that have run and type attention. This means that the women already have high blood pressure before becoming pregnant. The odds are if the woman already knows she has high blood pressure than she is already on medication to treat it. Like any other condition with medication there is a good chance that what she is taking will have to be altered by her physician.

There are some high blood pressure medications that a perfectly safe to be taken while pregnant. Others need to be a wood and completely. It is up to your doctor to decide which ones you need to be on and what changes need to be made currently. You never want to make these decisions on their own without consulting your doctor. Acting on your own could be disastrous for you and your baby.

3. Gestational hypertension

This is the most common type of high blood pressure that can occur during pregnancy. Just as gestational diabetes is a temporary medical condition that occurs only in pregnancy, gestational hypertension only occurs during pregnancy due to the extra stress that is placed on the body.

There is no perfect cure for hypertension. But it can be monitored and controlled. This is why it is very important to always have a regular checkup with your physician and to follow his advice on how to keep your blood pressure under control. Remember that high blood pressure affects your body so subtly that you may never see a single symptom. This is why most people do not realize they have high blood pressure until they had had their first stroke.

Avoid the complications of high blood pressure by eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting the right amount of exercise, and listening to your doctor. You want a healthy pregnancy, a healthy delivery, and a very healthy baby. The best way to do this is the focus on your own health and do everything you can your power to keep your blood pressure and a healthy level.

More Reading On Pregnancy：

>Being Pregnant With Congenital Heart Defects

>What Foods To Avoid While Pregnant

>Pregnancy’s Traditional Indicators

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